30.11.17

US threatens to ‘utterly destroy’ North Korea regime

This
photo taken on November 29, 2017 and released on November 30, 2017 by
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North
Korean leader Kim Jong-Un looking at launching of the Hwasong-15 missile
which is capable of reaching all parts of the US. / AFP PHOTO / KCNA
via KNS / KCNA VIA KNS / – South Korea OUT / REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT

The United States warned that North Korea’s leadership will be
“utterly destroyed” if war breaks out as it called on countries to cut
all diplomatic and trade ties with North Korea — including Chinese oil
shipments to Pyongyang.
Washington urged tough action at an emergency meeting of the Security
Council held Wednesday to respond to North Korea’s launch of an
intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
“The dictator of North Korea made a choice yesterday that brings the
world closer to war, not farther from it,” US Ambassador Nikki Haley
told the council.

“If war comes, make no mistake: The North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed.”
US President Donald Trump derided Kim Jong-Un as a “sick puppy” and
threatened “major” new sanctions after Pyongyang tested its third ICBM —
which it claimed was capable of striking anywhere in the United States.
The test ended a two-month lull in missile tests that had raised
hopes for the opening of diplomatic talks. The North said the weapon
could land anywhere in the continental United States — a claim some
experts said was feasible.
Kim said the test of the Hwasong-15 weapons system had helped his
country achieve the goal of becoming a full nuclear power, sparking
global condemnation.
“We call on all nations to cut off all ties with North Korea,” Haley told the council.
She said Trump had called Chinese President Xi Jinping and urged him
to “cut off the oil from North Korea”, a move that would deal a
crippling blow to North Korea’s economy.
“That would be a pivotal step in the world’s effort to stop this
international pariah,” she said, warning that if Beijing does not act,
“we can take the oil situation into our own hands.”
The United States earlier pressed for a full oil embargo on North
Korea after it tested its most powerful nuclear bomb to date in
September, but dropped that demand in negotiations on a sanctions
resolution with China. ‘The situation will be handled’
The Security Council met at the request of the United States, Japan and
South Korea to consider next steps after three rounds of sanctions
adopted in the past year failed to push North Korea to change course.
Trump — who had traded barbs with Kim for months — asked Xi to use “all available levers” to press the hermit state.
“Additional major sanctions will be imposed on North Korea today. This situation will be handled!” Trump tweeted.
China’s foreign ministry sidestepped questions about the US call for
an oil embargo, with spokesman Geng Shuang telling reporters that
Beijing upholds UN resolutions and backs the denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula.
Beijing has backed a slew of sanctions that include bans on imports
of North Korean coal, iron ore and seafood. The UN also barred the
hiring of North Korean guest workers and capped exports of refined
petroleum products.
But China has refused to turn off its pipeline shipping crude to North Korea.
Beijing fears that taking tougher actions could cause the regime to
collapse, triggering a refugee crisis across its border with the North
and eliminating a strategic buffer separating China from the US military
in South Korea.
China has proposed that the North stop missile and nuclear tests in
exchange for a freeze of US military exercises — a suggestion Washington
has repeatedly rejected.War fears
There are also concerns in Seoul — which is within range of Pyongyang’s
artillery — that Trump might be considering military action against the
North that could trigger a full-scale war.

Last week, Trump announced new US unilateral sanctions on Pyongyang and returned it to a US list of state sponsors of terror.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzi urged Washington “to revise its
policy of mutual threats and intimidation,” saying it was “essential to
take a step back.”
Canada said it would host a meeting of foreign ministers to discuss the North Korean threat.